Colossians 2:12…”having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”

What is baptism? There is much misunderstanding what true baptism is in the Christian community. I grew up a Catholic and was baptized as a baby with a little sprinkle of water on my forehead. Unfortunately, this so-called baptism does not come close to what baptism is all about.

So, what constitutes a baptism? Let’s take a look at Scripture and see what God’s own Word tells us. In Mark 16:15-16 , Jesus begins to give a commission to His disciples; in verse 15, He tells His disciples to “preach the Good News”, and in verse 16, He says, “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”

Both of these statements are important elements of baptism that cannot be accomplished by the Catholic baptism. First, Jesus tells them to “preach the Good News.” The second is, “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” So, in order for baptism to even be considered, one must first hear the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and after hearing it must believe it.

How can a baby believe what he cannot comprehend, even if you preached the Good News to him. I remember a TV episode of “All In The Family”, back in the early seventies. When Archie kidnapped his grandson, because his daughter and son-in-law were both atheists and wouldn’t baptize him. Archie took the baby without them knowing to his Catholic Church to baptize him. When he got to the Church, there were no priest’s around to baptize him, so Archie took it upon himself to baptize the baby.

Now, I know this is just a sitcom, meant to get some laughs, but that mentality really exists among Christian’s. They think that they can force Jesus upon a baby, so even if the baby grows up and rejects Jesus, they will be protected because they’ve been baptized. This mentality is a product of ignorance of the Good News.

In order to be baptized, first you must hear the Good News, second, you must believe that Good News, and third you must make a personal decision to be baptized. Let’s look at an example in Acts chapter 8; the account we are going to discuss is in verses 26-40. The account tells us, an angel of the Lord came to the apostle Philip and told him to travel a particular road from Jerusalem to Gaza.

As he traveled this road, he came across an Ethiopian eunuch who was an important official in charge of the treasury of Candace. As Philip approached his chariot, he overheard him reading the Book of Isaiah. The passage he was reading was a prophecy of the crucifixion of the Messiah.

Philip asked him, if he understood what he was reading. The eunuch said, “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” Philip proceeds to preach to him the Good News of Jesus Christ. As they came by some water, the eunuch asked Philip, “why shouldn’t I be baptized?”

Philip must not have had any reason why he shouldn’t, because they proceeded to the water and Philip baptized him. Notice, this was the choice solely of the eunuch; Philip never once suggested that the eunuch should be baptized. The Scripture doesn’t say what Philip said to the man, but he must have explained the Good News and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. After hearing of this baptism to free him from his sins, the eunuch made a personal decision to be baptized.

You cannot force the baptism of the Holy Spirit upon anyone. The baptism itself, is not a magical act, it doesn’t make you feel any different than you were before. I remember when I was baptized in 1992, I expected my life to supernaturally change for the better. But, it didn’t! I was disappointed, but that was because I didn’t understand what baptism actually was.

Let’s continue with our search of the Scriptures to help us understand this baptism a little more. Another step to baptism can be found in Mark 1:4-5 . We read here in verse 4, that John was preaching a baptism for the forgiveness of sins. In verse 5, we read that the people of Jerusalem went out to John in the countryside and first, confessed their sins, then they were baptized.

So, now we have hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ, accepting and believing that Good News, then confessing yours sins. Let’s not misunderstand here, they weren’t confessing their sins to John, they were confessing their sins to the Father in heaven. Again, from my Catholic background, I was taught that you must confess your sins to a priest before you can receive communion or the bread and wine, representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Without this confession to a priest, who is human, you are not supposed to receive the communion. Even if I confessed my sins to God directly, it wasn't sufficient. I needed to confess it to a priest. Yet, they can baptize a baby before that baby even heard the name Jesus Christ. It just doesn’t make sense.

I would guess the regulations of the Catholic Church are careful to be sure, that if I were to receive communion, I better know to confess my sins. Yet, they can take a baby baptize that baby even though he never heard, nor could he comprehend the name Jesus Christ at such a young age. It just doesn’t make sense.

The Catholic Church will use the excuse that, its proper because the baby has not yet sinned. Well, my Bible tells me that all men are born into sin. In Psalm 51:5 it actually says we were sinful the moment we were conceived. Why? Because of the sin in the Garden of Eden, the spirit of man was corrupted. Every man born after Adam and Eve would have this corrupt spirit of man.

I don’t mean to bash the Catholic Church, although I guess that is what I am doing. With all due respect to those of the Catholic faith, I am just speaking from my experience with my Catholic background and what I have found wrong in what I was taught from the Catholic Church. Let’s move on with our discussion of what baptism is.

In Acts 2:38, we read of the ultimate goal of baptism. And that is the receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The verse reads, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

I spoke above of the corrupt nature of the spirit of man, with this corrupt nature we cannot and will not enter eternity with Christ. We need to be purified before God in order to be worthy of eternal life with Christ. The only way to correct this corrupt spirit within us, is to get an upgrade, if you will. Once receiving the Holy Spirit through the steps we’ve discussed above, you are now a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says it this way, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Once you receive this Holy Spirit, and everyone does who truly accepts Jesus as their Savior and is baptized, it is not automatic that the Holy Spirit will be evident in your life. The Holy Spirit will not force God’s will upon you. We were created under the law of freedom of choice. Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”

We can choose life or we can choose death. Unfortunately, most people choose death and don't even realize it, which is living according to the world’s way of life rather than God’s way of life. One can be baptized and be filled with the Holy Spirit, yet still live a worldly lifestyle and the gifts of the Holy Spirit will not function in their life. They will still live a defeated physical life.

I say physical, because unless you commit the unpardonable sin, which is knowingly and willingly turning against the Holy Spirit, you will still be saved for eternity which is the spiritual life after. Many people or Christian’s, for that matter, do not realize that their physical lives can change as well, if they are applying the Holy Spirit into their everyday lives.

You can and should display the gifts of prosperity, health, and powers to heal the sick and raise the dead. This we are told by Jesus Himself in John 14:12-14, “12) I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.13) And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14) You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Now, I am not promoting a health and wealth gospel, like some have done just for the money; I am telling you the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve seen these things work in my own life as my life was transformed some ten years after receiving the Holy Spirit. I was one who thought that after being baptized my life would miraculously be transformed, but, I was sorely mistaken.

I became very confused as to God’s direction in my life and for some ten years I wandered what I call, my time in the wilderness. By 2002 I was ready to pack it in and give up on my walk with Christ, because I couldn’t get anything to work. But, God was with me the whole way and spoke to my heart, “are you now ready to do it my way?” You see, for ten years I tried to force God’s will to conform to my life, rather than conforming my life to God’s will.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says, “9) However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"— 10) but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.”

God reveals His will to us by His Spirit, who you receive at baptism. But, as I said above, if you try to transform God into your will, and not vice versa, you will not experience understanding of what God’s perfect and pleasing will is for you, because you want to do it your way. Again, God will never force you into seeing His way. You have total freedom to choose to the direction of your life.

1 Corinthians 2:11 says, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” Above I spoke of the spirit of man; the spirit of man gives life to man. Here we read that only through this spirit of man can we know what is in a man’s thoughts. It goes on to say, that in the same way only the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit can know the thoughts of God.

It is only through the Holy Spirit, that you receive after hearing the Good News, believing the Good News, and confessing your sins, that you can access the thoughts of God and determine His will for your life. Once you tap into God’s will for your life, your transformation will begin. As I’ve heard said, and in reference to myself, I have not arrived at the ultimate destination of the perfection of God in my life, but I have certainly left the station.

If you are considering baptism into a life with Jesus Christ, I would encourage you to read all the information in the Beginners Toolbox, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact us with any comments or questions you may have. Your salvation is our goal for you, I will pray that it is yours as well. You will find a contact form at the end of all our teaching articles, including this one, and also by going to our "contact us" page.

As Joshua 32:8 puts it, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” I cannot stress how important daily study is in receiving God’s best for your life. Satan is going to be at your door 24/7, trying to derail you from your walk with Christ. If you are not diligent in your pursuit of God by daily Bible study, Satan will trip you up!

One final point on baptism. I mentioned above that in my Catholic upbringing, I was baptized with a sprinkling of water on my forehead. This also does not fulfill the requirement of baptism. In Matthew 3:13-16, we have the account of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist. In verse 16, we read, "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water. (NKJV)" If Jesus came up immediately from the water, it's clear that water was not sprinkled on His head, but that He was submerged or immersed in the water. We derive our English word baptize from the Greek word baptizo, which means to immerse or be fully wet.

We derive our English word baptize from the Greek word baptizo, which means to immerse or be fully wet. The act of baptism itself is symbolic of following Jesus through His death and resurrection. As we are being baptized and being submerged under the water we are dying from our old self. Once under the water fully, we are in our watery grave. And as we come up out of the water, we are being resurrected to our new life in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit.

I do not want to diminish the importance of baptism, because it is the only way to Christ, but I do want to be sure to not mislead anyone into believing like I believed when I was first baptized. I remember after being baptized, I was looking for a some kind of feeling or change that I could detect within me. Maybe a feeling of euphoria or something to that effect. But, I was kind of disappointed that I didn't feel any different after the baptism; nor did my life change for the better.

My problem was not understanding that it was not a physical change I went through, it was a spiritual change. We cannot detect a spiritual change in our lives; at least not with our physical five senses that I was immediately trying to use to detect a change. Right from the get-go we need to seek the spiritual aspect of our being. This is not easy for one who is trained all his or her life to utilize the physical senses to detect things. Although this topic is a whole other subject, you can read about it by reading my study, Who Is The Holy Spirit.

If you are reading this and are not baptized and have found this site because you were looking for answers. God, is no doubt, calling you to the truth. I would urge you to respond to that call and study, study, and more study. If you do not have a Bible I would suggest you find yourself one. If you cannot afford one at the present time, you can access an online Bible with many translations to choose from by going to www.biblegateway.com Again, I would refer you to our Beginners Toolbox and read all the information there. It will help you jump-start your walk with Christ by answering questions that are common to newbie Christians.

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